# Atheists - What drives you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 29, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-what-drives-you/657030 "2013-04-29T18:09:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 80
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-what-drives-you/657030/80 "2013-04-30T09:31:28Z")
> [@sWozzAres](#): > > That’s what faith is - belief without proof, as opposed to science which is faith in proof! Proof is a central feature of the scientific method, it’s not applicable to religion, by definition. ‘Proof’ doesn’t figure in science at all; no theory is ever proven correct, just accepted on pain of falsification. In fact, if it’s not possible to rule out a theory, it’s not considered scientific (by most). > [@](#): > > I also don’t see, at a fundamental level how these religions contradict each other, it’s more accurate to say that they all say essentionally the same thing, they just use a different language to say it. For instance, you can be Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist and a devout scientist simultaneously with no contradiction. You can be a Hindu, believing in the concept of Atman, i.e. the true, unchanging self, and a Buddhist, following the doctrine of Anatman, i.e. the non-existence of a true, unchanging self, only if you don’t really know anything about either. > [@](#): > > I think that science tells you “how” and religion tells you “why”. You need both for a complete picture. The answer any religion gives to most ‘why’-question is: because god. The answer it gives to the question ‘why god?’ is typically: shut up. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-what-drives-you/657030)._